American Companies Still Very Bullish on China; Many Plan Increased Investment

PRNewswire - More than three-quarters of American companies polled in a survey released today by the American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai (AmCham Shanghai) say that the business environment in China has either improved or stayed the same over the past six months, calling into question recent media reports of a worsening business climate in China.

"We don't see a dramatic change in sentiment from our membership," said Brenda Foster, president of AmCham Shanghai. "Is China a challenging place to do business? Yes. It always has been and we will continue to work with the national government to develop a more competitive, open market in China. But our member companies remain committed to the China market and we're seeing many of them expand their operations here."

Among the 218 American companies surveyed by AmCham Shanghai, 65 percent report that their business performance has improved within the past six months despite steadily increasing competition in the China market....In the survey, AmCham Shanghai also asked members to comment on the recently announced indigenous innovation policy. Of the member companies aware of the policy, 30 percent reported that the directive would hurt their businesses.